


The Princess Diaries

by moscovitz



Category: The Princess Diaries - All Media Types
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-03
Updated: 2018-07-03
Packaged: 2019-06-04 22:03:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,603
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15156551
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moscovitz/pseuds/moscovitz
Summary: This book includes scenes from each Princess Diaries book written in Michael's point of view. This particular chapter is from the first book in regards to the Cultural Diversity Dance.





	The Princess Diaries

Michael had never been in touch with his feelings and this was something he admitted carelessly. He usually didn’t care about celebrities or recent engagements between models and other various types of women (excluding Buffy the Vampire Slayer), so this whole development between him and his little sister’s best friend was slightly concerning. It was terrible just knowing she thought of him like an older brother, but it was even worse watching her angrily stomp into the school and plop herself down on one of the plastic benches put out by the teachers of Albert Einstein High School. They were placed there for comfort, however judging by the way she continued to cross and uncross her legs as she scribbled inside of her Mead notebook, she was anything but relaxed.

Michael sat at the Computer Club table. Well, it wasn’t really named that, but it was basically theirs. They were the geek squad who refused to think about girls mainly because 1) no girls thought about them and 2) they were too in love with their hand made machines. However, slowly and bit by bit, his classmates jumped out of the seats and onto the dance floor. Now, he sat alone, occasionally peeking at Mia from the corner of his eyes, which in itself was pretty difficult because the lights were dimmed down and nobody could really see anything.

Mia’s dress was vibrantly decorated with bold colors, so that helped in a way. She sighed and closed her notebook eventually. Lars, the only person who knew somehow (even though Michael hadn’t come out and straight up said: “Hey, uh, that girl you’re bodyguard-ing? Yeah, she’s smoking), glanced at him and furrowed his brows. There was no way Lars didn’t read over Mia’s shoulder from time to time, but Michael didn’t really think Mia cared at that point. She was clearly livid with what happened with Josh at dinner.

The news had spread fast, as did his excitedness but that was private. When Lars sent him a harsh, pointed look again, and when Mia’s fingers began to open her notebook once more, he pushed himself up and pushed through the crowd to get to her. 

“Hey Thermopolis, you’re late to the party,” he said as Mia looked up at him, eyes blinking from the harsh lights from the stage. 

“Yeah. Some stuff happened,” she grumbled back. 

Lilly and the rest of the gang (really, there were so many of them, it was hard to keep track) came up behind them and gushed about the Pakistani cultural table who had brought rice mounds to sit on top of. Lilly nodded at Michael in acknowledgment, even though the other girl (Tina was it?) looked surprised to see him here. She had fairly large eyes and Michael quirked an eyebrow at her until she glanced away, hastily lacing hands with her date. They waited for Mia to wobble onto her feet and then began heading towards the table. Lars followed them silently, and thankfully, he didn’t make suggestive comments at Michael. 

They sat on the rice mounds for a few moments before Lilly sighed and grabbed Boris’s hand. “Let’s dance.” Michael wanted to feel bad for him, always being bossed around by his girlfriend, however if he was in a situation where he were so in love with a girl, he’d probably do the same.

He looked at Mia who quietly listened to the DJ urge the students to get up and join the rest on the dancefloor. 

He was a fucking sap! 

Slowly, the girl with the wide eyes and her date pushed themselves onto the dance floor. Michael didn’t remember the rest of their names but he vowed to recall them later because they all stood up and followed each other onto the dance floor. He felt so thankful and confident so he stood right up and plopped himself next to Mia, giving her bodyguard a steady look. 

“Are you alright, Thermopolis?” 

Mia’s vision flickered to his, eyes widened at him as if she couldn’t believe her ears. “Me? Yeah, I’m fine. Well, you know. Fine considering everything that has happened tonight. It’s alright.”

“Yeah I heard.”

“Sucks doesn’t it?”

“Yeah.”

“And the cheerleaders don’t even have any cultural diversity!” she argued, crossing her arms across her chest, and suddenly, Michael was reminded of why he liked her so much.

“They all wear the same outfits,” he included, a grin on his face when she nodded excitedly, sitting up straighter. 

“Nevermind the  _ cultural _ part, there’s no diversity in the first place!"

Michael doesn’t even remember who started the conversation, but suddenly they were talking about Star Wars. And sure, he’d known Mia’s knowledge on movies was vast, but on Star Wars? Why was this woman actually the one of his dreams? They argued about replicators, and then who would make a better leader Captain Kirk or Captain Picard. Her reasonings were so valid, he had let her win some of the debates easily. 

In the midst of another fast song, Mr. G came over and laid a hand on her shoulder, a concerned look on his face.

“Mia? Are you alright?”

“I’m fine,” she told him with a tight smile, cheeks turning pink. “Tell mom not to worry.”

Mr. G’s face visibly relaxed, a smile on his face now. “Great. Oh, and your grade has improved in my class. At least you’re not failing anymore.”

Michael watched as Mia processed this information, a glint in her eye when the widest smile broke onto her face. “Really? It’s a D now?” When Mr. G nodded with a proud look on his face, Mia gestured to Michael happily and said, “I owe it all to Michael.”

Why did she have to say things like that? “Me? No no.”

“Yeah,” she said as she bounced on the mound of rice. “He tutored me almost everyday and it’s all because of Michael.”

“Mia,” Michael said in a strained voice, but Mr. G nodded and extended his hand out to Michael, who swore he was red. He shook his head briefly before his eyes caught something from across the room and he hurried away to it.

He couldn’t say anything. Not when he turned back to Mia who gazed up at him like he put the fucking stars in the sky. 

Only he didn’t have to reply because another fast song came on and everybody returned to their seats. Lilly began loudly talking about the new segments on her show, and while Michael wasn’t listening, he nodded as if he were. Tina listened intently and... the other people did too. Whatever their names were.

As quick as they had returned, they were gone when a slow song came on and they grabbed each other. Michael was left alone with Mia again. Lars was forgotten about, and Michael blinked at Mia when she longingly watched her best friends dance together. He sighed, rubbing his eye once more shooting a glance at Lars and right before she opened her mouth to talk about something Buffy related (probably), he quickly said,

“Wanna dance?”

Mia stared at him for a second before she let the word tumble out of her mouth. “Sure.”

“Great,” Michael mumbled to himself, standing up. He brushed the rice off his thighs and made sure the cuffs of his tux were tightened. “C’mon.”

Next thing he knew, Mia was in his arms. It as a weird feeling, getting what you wanted for years and it was finally happening. It was too touchy or provocative. He knew she wouldn’t like that, so he didn’t hold her waist. Instead, his hands lingered around the center of her back while hers looped around her neck. She was a little hesitant with where she should put her hands, but Michael softly laughed and teased, “Hurry up or the song is going to end.”

Slow dancing is weird. It’s not actually dancing but just swaying left to right slowly. It’s quite romantic and judging from the flushed color on her cheeks, Mia seemed to be leaning into him. It was as if she were intently planning what she’s want to write in her journal that night. Mia was shorter than him so her head would gently nestle into his neck if she would step closer to him. Except she didn’t, because she was Mia, and Mia was the most careful girl he knew. She was careless with her words, but she carefully thought out her movement.

Her face was unreadable, partially because her features weren’t in view of Michael’s eyes. Instead, certain strands of her hair tickled his jaw. He did, however, catch a glance of Lars’s smug look, and he wasn’t even bothered by it. He only smiled back and remained quiet, thankful Mia was as well. A part of him longed to tug her against him and maybe even pepper a couple sweet kisses to her cheek and tell her she looked wonderful despite the events that happened before and that if they were ever to go on a date, he’d let her order whatever she wanted.

That was an abrupt thought. 

A fast song came on and Michael had to regretfully step away from Mia. She had sensed it too, and even though she didn’t look up at him, she knew he’d follow and follow he did. “Want some Thai iced tea?” he asked, not waiting for her answer as she walked towards the Thai table. They sat and talked afterwards, sipping at their iced tea.

They talked like normal people, like their hands weren’t just on each other minutes ago. Michael liked that. There wasn’t anything weird about them and there was always something to talk about. It was just a routine that night. Eventually by the third slow dance of the night, Mia would smoothe out her dress as she finished up her thought about Wolverine and wait for him to follow her onto the dance floor. 

At one point, she even looked up at him while swaying with him, and he swore if her hands were anywhere near his neck at that point, she’d feel his thundering heart. He liked what they had going. Maybe he even...

Lilly invited Mia to stay over and Mia nodded happily. Michael was happy also, watching her as she asked Lars for his cellphone to call her mother, but his heart took a dip for the worst when he realized everyone was coming back to their apartment. All twelve of them -- including Lars and whatever the large eyed girl’s bodyguard’s name was. He really needed to be more attentive. 

Mia, of course, suggested they play some video games, and while Michael said he was too tired to, he sat on the sofa and watched all the people in his home chant and cheer Mia on. She’d been coming over too long and knew the game better than him anyways. 

His father eventually come to the game room and asked them all politely to leave because he had an early class in the morning. They all left, except for Mia, even though she walked them to the elevator. Mia was left with the Moscovitz and when Lars was stepping into the elevator, he held his hand up to Michael, silently congratulating him. Michael high fived him with a small shrug. When he turned around, he met eyes with Mia who looked between the two of them with confused eyes, but he didn’t say anything back, letting Lilly whisk Mia away to show her where she’d be staying. 

Later in the night, when he was sure they both were still awake, he went to their room with a container of popcorn. He noticed Mia had changed into Lilly’s sleeping clothes which were fairly large for her...because his sister was chubbier than Mia, and watching her yawn from across the room and knuckle at her eye made him swoon with affection. He could just wrap her up and carry her off...

“What do you do in your room anyways?” Mia said after another yawn, eyes closed against her pillow on the mattress on the floor. “Something super cool right?”

Lilly seemed to have fallen asleep since she didn’t reply with a snarky comment or respond when Michael threw a pillow at her side. 

He sent her a grave look. “You really want to know, Thermopolis?”

“Yes.”

“Swear to me that you won’t tell anyone.”

“I won’t tell anyone anything.”

“Not even your journal.”

She seemed a little hesitant. “Okay.”

He stood up and ran a hand through his hair, motioning her to follow him. “Alright, c’mon.”

Mia walked with him to his room and he opened the door for her. She looked at him as f asking for permission to enter his room and when he gave her that slight nod, she practically flew through the threshold. The first thing her eyes caught was the guitar by his bed. She sat on his bed without asking and fingered the strings. “You play?”

Michael sat at his desk and took the guitar from her wordlessly. As if she were about to be serenaded, she clasped her hands in her lap and waited patiently. He played a few notes for her, the opening to a new song he had been working on, and they were basic scales, however they sent Mia into a frenzy.

“You’re so good!”

“I write songs,” he admitted, tightening the strings. “There’s only a couple.”

She gasped. “Really?”

“Yeah,” he nodded. Then, he continued quietly, caressing one string. “Wanna hear one?”

“Yes!”

He racked his brain for some good songs he’d written to play her, and only one stuck through.

“It’s called ‘Tall Drink of Water’. It’s about a tall girl who doesn’t know this boy is in love with her.” He looked at her straight in the eye as he said it, however Mia being Mia, she didn’t understand the correlation between the two of them and the song. Later, when he thought about it, Michael shook his head at himself because there really wasn’t any way for him to be more blunt. Mia  _ really _ was blind.

It was weird playing a song in front of a girl he’d been in love with for ages and ages. A song about her too. But she listened carefully anyways, a focused expression on her sleepy face, and her doe eyes watched his fingers effortlessly play the strings to his favor.

By the time the song was finished, Michael’s self control at hit a new record. His lips were practically itching to kiss her beautiful face and tell her it was her he wanted and if she’d have him as well, then he’d be so  _ so _ happy...

“Falling asleep on me, Thermopolis?” Michael teased, setting the guitar down, a chuckle falling from his lips. 

“No,” she replied stubbornly. “I’m not sleepy. That was really good. It’ll go to the top of the Billboards one day. You’ll be the next Puff Daddy.”

Michael gave her a funny look. “You think so?”

Mia rubbed her eyes and nodded quickly. “I know so.”

Mia went back to Lilly’s room after that and Michael was left swirling in his chair, a stupid smile on his face as he stared at the glow in the dark stars stuck on his ceiling. He sighed happily and then climbed into his bed. Mia must have gotten a hint from tonight, right? He asked her to dance, bought her Thai iced tea, and even showed her his music. No doubt she had noticed his affection towards her.

  
_ Fuck. _ He really was a sap.


End file.
